No new DSLRs from Nikon at PMA

Eric from PhotographyBay is at the PMA show in Vegas and he got a chance to talk to a Nikon rep: "no new DSLRs from Nikon at PMA".

No word on lenses, but after that news I am not holding my breath for anything. If you are at PMA and have something to report or a picture to send, contact me (I was also planning to be there and now I am glad I didn't go).

I don’t think the next official announcement will be related to an event – it could be anytime.

Tom

Have you looked at the news room announcements over the past few years ? Is there any pattern ? I would think an announcement in the spring , for a summer in stock, would be most likely ?

Anonymous

Looking at previous years, there isn’t much of a pattern but it seems there is
– an early period from late Jan to late Feb
– a spring period mid March to early April
– a busy summer, especially August
I guess we’re looking at either some well-kept secrets at PMA or in the fortnight after, or waiting until late March.

Anonymous

I am still waiting for PMA to be over until I believe (accept) that lol..

http://www.awjphotos.com Andrew

I was hoping to see the D400 at PMA, but since I don’t have the money yet I’ll be fine if it is announced sometime over the next few months (Please release it before Fall!). Though, I’ll still hold my breath through tomorrow.

jettblack

I agree…

nikonmonster

noooooooooooooooo. lens please.

http://katietorriente.com Aaron

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!!!! Now what am I supposed to do? Buy a second D700 or buy a soon to be obsolete (but I just don’t know when) D300. I was really looking forward to a DX with ISO performance at least as good as the D700 (because I could really use even more than that). But I need something ASAP since I just sold my backup. BUMMER

Justin

Do you really think Nikon (or any camera company) is capable of releasing a DX sensor with higher megapixels than a D300 with greater high ISO performance than a D700?

Cin

I agree

Neil

Yes, they are very capable of it. It’s a matter of handling the photosites differently. The D300 had a 27% better efficiency at handling signal to noise over the D200 which led to a corresponding increase in ISO performance. In the two years since the D300 was developed I’m sure they have gotten even more efficient.

RobJ

The D300 uses a completely different type of sensor than the D200 (CMOS vs CCD). Presumably a D400 would use a similar CMOS sensor as the D300. Though I’m sure they can squeeze some extra performance out of that, it’s absurd to think that a D400 is going to magically appear that has better ISO performance than the larger sensor D700.

Eric B

Maybe they booked the Blues Travelers…

Pablov

LOL, the Big thing, isn’t it?

Mariusz Pudzianowski

No K’in!!!!

asd

pudzian no worries – you can always be a strong man not a photographer… 😉

low

awesome. now i can buy a d700 and not worry about another camera outdating it with its release!

rwbenjey

I’m still buying a D700 at the end of this month regardless; the ISO performance is outstanding.

jettblack

Maybe this increases the chances of releasing some new lenses. Otherwise why even make an appearance at the show…for new point and shoots? I doubt it.

Pablov

well…. more than frustrating it is Surprising

BTW, Sigma announced the 24-70 2.8 HSM (bit bulky but another interesting choice to the current ones)

I guess that if Nikon doesn’t announce new DSLR, it’s probably they don’t have it ready. Possible in few months ?

BUT…. I wonder… what are they doing ???

1st was supposed the D400 at PMA
2nd was D5000
3rd … Lenses?
4th … (Nothing more than P&S ???)

In that case, Admin, better you saved your money

AZ

increasing prices

Anonymous

There wasn’t SUPPOSED to be anything. Rumors get listed and when they don’t come true, posters act like Nikon has failed in some way, which is absurd. People have come to believe that there are going to be replacement bodies every six months, which is also completely absurd.

Would have been nice to see a lens announcement, but after they announced the 35 DX and the Coolpixes, I knew there wasn’t going to be any more announcements at PMA.

Profits are in the toilet, they probably have large inventories and they still can’t keep current lenses in stock. Why make anything new when the worldwide economy completely sucks?

John Rodriguez

This shouldn’t be a big surprise. Consumer confidence worldwide is in the tank, and all indicators have been there for two quarters now. That’s plenty of time for Nikon to pull back on anything that may have been planned for PMA. If they’re smart they’ll wait until at least the end of 2009 to release anything.

http://dotcrimemanifesto.com/ PHB

The replacement for the D40 will not be a DSLR. It will be a digital viewfinder camera that uses the live-view mode of the D300/D90 as the viewfinder.

Removing the mirror and associated autofocus system along with the focus motor makes perfect sense. That way they can put a 12MP body on sale without threatening the rest of the range.

I expect to see a video-cam style electronic shutter on the down model cameras as well.

Rave

If that’s true, I wonder how manual focusing would be, using the LCD screen.

Come to think of it, it would look quite noobish holding a DSL-like camera like shooting a compact. Don’t you think so? With the camera a foot away from you…

Pablov

In fact, for manual focusing the LCD screen can zoom much more than normal visual magnification through the viewfinder, there’s an option for Manual Focus using LiveView, so it’s easier than using the Viewfinder…

and you don’t have to hold the camera 1 feet from you..
I use LCD screen a lot, it’s 100% accurate, displays the info bigger.
Of course it’s not always better, depend on your task, needs, etc..

abouna

What the heck!

Gosh, I was really hoping for a new body so the price on the D300 would drop a bit. I’m chomping at the bit here.

Cripes.

SimonC

I suspect they had planned a D60 replacement for PMA some months ago but decided to delay it due to the economic situation. D60, while turning just 1 yr old, is in need of a refresh. But they can’t delay it for much longer – Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up and are ideal times to release a budget DSLR.

I predict an April release for the D60 replacement, July release for a D300 replacement, and a Nov. release for a D700x body (in time for xmas). All with HD video capability.

Simon

jon

haha..it seems you are filled with money..money is no object to you..

Alex

this sucks…

nikon couldnt respond to Canon mark 5d II video in due time

jon

get a viedo camera..

NJ437

I’m disappointed to hear this. I’m in the process of finally going digital after a hiatus from film photography. I’m torn between waiting for the new replacement, or just buying a D60 and being done with it.

rhlpetrus

Get the D90, for a film user (slr) it’s the camera to go, the D60 is a nice camera but not in the same league regarding body and sensor.

http://www.peterbendheimphotography.blogspot.com Peter Bendheim

Good, I’m glad. I’m really enjoying my current crop of DSLR’s and I am tired of everything being made redundant every 5 minutes.

Anonymous

did KR get his prediction right?

Anonymous

Of course not. Does he ever get anything right!?

rjm

With the D40 cut from the roster, but the D60 now priced in its place, it may be that Nikon feels comfortable holding with the 60,90,300 lineup for a few more months. I don’t understand why the D80 is still around in this context, but whatever.

Count me in with the group that thinks the next thing in the pipe is a bridge camera or G1-style mirrorless body with video.

Anonymous

Can anyone explain to me why have a D40/60 12MP grade camera ready and not sell it ?

If they have made investment, they want returns right ? They want market share by better bodies. Failing to release a product makes them look like they are suffering and would damage their share price ?

The road map for bodies seems pretty easy to guess.

They have a 12MP sensor from the D90 that will go into a D60 body.

They have a 24Mp sensor to go into the D700 body.

D300 has dropped in price – they are developing a D400 ?

I think it’s when, not if, and as soon as possible, not later.

Ormenean Calin

We have in Romania a new OFICIAL promo for D700 and D300:
buy D700 and get MB-D10 and 4 GB 300x CF card for free or
buy D300 and get 18-70 DX for free.
The promo is available until 18 april 2009…so I could bet that will be no release of DSLR until 18 april. Maybe will lounch D700x and D400 at the same time……

rwpl

What are the prices in USD for those two sets?

rhlpetrus

If the D40 demise is true, this sounds very strange. The D40 was the best selling dslr for Dec in the US, beating the 450D for the first time. If this lasts, Nikkon will loose share.

rhlpetrus

If the D40 demise is true, this sounds very strange. The D40 was the best selling dslr for Dec in the US, beating the 450D for the first time. If this lasts, Nikon will loose share.

Ormenean Calin

The prices are:
D700 2929 usd in store, today,
D300 1757 usd

http://flickr.com/photos/friedtoast/ Fried Toast

Absolutely amazing how many crybabies there are here. Do any of these people actually go outside and shoot photographs? EVER?

No need to introduce new high-end cameras with inflated price tags during this economic climate. It would be insane to do so… If that often rumored MX camera was released at PMA could any of us afford it? And the old adage that the pros and rental houses will use it does not hold up as sales in this market have been quite stale as of late.

rwpl

cant wait to see the announcement of the Nikkor 10-24/3,5-4,5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MB

For some reasons most of us expect to see new products announcements from Nikon on some worldwide event.
For some other reasons Nikon is not doing this for some time now, but just before and after that.
I must add that I don’t understand the reasons behind Nikon announcement policy, but that’s it.
We will however have new entry level cameras soon enough, it wont be so entry level priced though (D5000 18-55 kit is expected to cost somewhere between 700-800 EUR at time of announcement), and others will come soon after.
But the question is: so what? There will always be newer cameras on the market then the one you have, but they will not make better pictures auto–magically. We are the ones that are making pictures not the cameras, so if you really need a camera, newest model or not, you really need it for taking pictures not just to have the newest model.

Mathieu

This time is special since we all want DSLR with HD video!! MOUAHAH!

Justmiddleit

I just got a D40 body and an 18-105 lens. I believe they will be enough for me for at least one year, though the new features of D5000 sounds really attractive.

Bill

This really disappoints me. I was going to wait for Nikon to release their version of the 5dMkII. Now I’ll just buy a real HDV camera. Too bad for Nikon

hyperconnected08

I know many of the CE companies are facing a two headed dragon…the economy slowing down…and retailers not buying inventory. The two together can spell rising inventory if forcasts are not spot on. Add to that, two dealers on the way out or in restructure (Circuit City/Ritz) and you are choking off the opportunities in the retail channel. If I had to guess they are looking past mid year into the late summer or early fall for any announcements that would drive sales of a new consumer level products, pro level will sell but needs to be managed properly to remain profitable.

Any announcements might come with a “shipping later this year” attached to it. If they are heavy on inventory they will not want to have d200, d300, and the rumored d400 in the market at the same time. The only way for them to do so would be to reduce the d200 down to a price that hits say 649.00 with the 35mm 1.8 or some less expensice lens like an 18-55 as a limited availability to blow though inventory, then the D300 becomes an issue because of the launch of the D90 so you are looking at having to hit 999.99 with the same lens or be below 1399.99 with say a 18-135. The D90 comes in at 1299.99 in the kit form with the 18-105 . This will allow them to launch a d400 in the area of 1800.00 with a lens.

The economic shifts do more than slow sales, they screw up all sorts of production factors from parts supply to finished goods. all factors taken into account, I would not be surprised to see them have this in place for the holiday selling season if the economy slows further and it begins to impact other retailers. There is just so much product guys like B&H and J&R can move, the other option is to add distributors and that leads to an internet frenzy that devalues the brand and the products.

Edward

Well, then. Since I just bought a new D80, I don’t think I’ll get another D5000.
I’ll be looking forward to some nice new lens, instead.
Hope Nikon won’t disappoint me.